“The concept of "maternity benefit" will also provide benefits to nearly 30 million unemployed mothers,” state officials. The lawyers and citizens, who speak against the idea, say that working women should receive maternity benefits, concurrently claiming that the Government's proposed legislative amendment is not the establishment of social justice but a discriminatory approach to working and non-working women.

The lawyers said that pursuant to the current legislation, a working woman is entitled to a paid leave of 70 prenatal days and 70 postnatal days and to a reimbursement which equals to her monthly salary paid during the above-mentioned period. However, the Government has recently proposed legislative amendments which will result in the reduction of benefits. The reduction is planned to be achieved as follows: if work experience is less than one calendar year, the benefits are accumulated based on the 40 percent of average monthly salary; if the work experience is one to three calendar years, the benefits incur based on 60 percent; and in case of three and more years, the accumulation is based on 80 percent of a salary.

Karen Mezhlumyan said that the Government shifts the maternity allowance to the field of benefits while it is a constitutionally guaranteed compensation. Mezhlumyan believes that unemployed mothers should be paid maternity benefits “but it cannot be at the expense of a working woman.” There are numerous social and legal problems, the lawyer said.

Tatevik Davtyan said that the given legislative initiative approved by the Government intends to aggravate social injustice instead of endorsing social justice. “We are all sure to be trapped in a situation where a person with two shoes gives one shoe to a barefoot person and as a result, they both walk in a shoe.”

The panelists also argued that legislative amendments have been approved without prior public discussions, without taking into account the standpoints of immediate beneficiaries. Obviously, there is a problem and the problem should not be solved at the expense of working women, and the panelists proposed to restore the luxury tax law instead as it is practiced in the whole civilized world.

In October, 2010 The National Assembly adopted a law on Temporary Disability Benefits but due to the struggle of women and activists in general the law was amended including the activists’ proposals.

The media regularly reportes that the old mine dumps of Akhtala Mountain Enrich Combinat, situated between Chochkan and Mets Ayrum communities in Lori region, poses a danger to the environment and the population.

On March 2, 2018, the RA National Assembly will elect the 4th President of Armenia. On January 18, Armen Sargsyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, was nominated as the candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Armenia during the meeting of the executive body of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

On January 13, RA Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan posted on his Facebook page about the treatment expenses of military serviceman Albert Dallakyan, who was wounded as a result of violating the rules for safe handling with a weapon by the platoon commander. The minister urged to donate for surgery of the wounded soldier abroad. The required amount is 46,000 USD.

The most urgent issue for conscripts involves the health issues and medical conclusions during conscriptions. In 2016-2017, 50 out of 59 applications filed by the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Vanadzor Office referred to the health issues of conscripts.